I'm trying to finalize a new phone purchase to replace my aging and flaky Cingular Nokia 6620. I've never used a Blackberry before but it seems like it might be a good fit for me. From what I can see the 7803e from Sprint does 1-4 on my list right now. The 8830 looks like it will do 1-10 in July if I can learn some patience

I'm new to all this so if anyone can suggest either other phones or carriers that meet my requirements please do so. (EG Another possibility could be the PPC6680 as and when Sprint launch it with WM6, assuming this is more stable than WM5.)

What I'm looking for, in order of priority (BTW I'm in the Orange County area of California.):

2) High-speed Internet access both on phone and tethered to laptop for less than $50 per month on top of call plan - Rules out Verizon and Cingular who double-charge for both phone and tethered Internet usage. Cingular is also ruled out due to EDGE speeds only unless I go with something with 3G support like the 8525.

3) Seamless email integration with Exchange Server 2007 and ideally Hotmail and GMail. (I can use the Express version of BES from the looks of things.)

4) GPS functionality for driving directions - I've heard great things about the Telenav service and don't mind another $10 pm if it is good.

5) Voice dialling when using BT headset (Plantronics 510 at present) - Worth having only if it actually works (I have it on the 6620 but it don't work better than 1 in 10 attempts)

6) Price - I'd like to pay $300 or less for the phone itself it at all possible. (Of course if I go away from Cingular I'll get new account deals that will make the cost a lot lower)

7) Camera - Nice to have if possible

8) MP3 player - Only worth having IMHO if it supports a stereo BT profile.

I think first of all, you need to settle on a carrier and then pick the device, since if you have no service, 1 to 10 don't matter. Look at where you will use it, where you live, work, travel, play, etc. Talk to friends, family, co-workers and see how they like their carrier. If you stick with Cingular, you are locked into a GSM BB with EDGE. Same with T-Mobile. If you go with Verizon or Sprint, you need CDMA.

1. BB or Nokia on Symbian.

2. Verizon and Sprint have the fastest connection for a BB - EV-Do

3. You can use BIS and Sync with Outlook and it saves you a few bucks on the plan.

li2327 - So you're not feeling tempted to upgrade to a 8830 from Verizon?

Dubdub - Good point about the carrier. I'm pretty much settled on Sprint at present, primarily due to their Internet/Tethered pricing structure. Plus looking at the Cingular 3G coverage map it doesn't cover enough of the areas I'll be working in at present. Sprint has better overall coverage for EV-DO Internet access.
As for 4) I'm trying to simplify things by not having to carry yet another device around, plus it's another $100 which seems a waste when you can get it built in.

Question - Does anyone know if you can still make and receive calls on the 7803e (CDMA/Sprint) whilst accessing the Internet, either tethered or on the BB?

li2327 - So you're not feeling tempted to upgrade to a 8830 from Verizon?

Dubdub - Good point about the carrier. I'm pretty much settled on Sprint at present, primarily due to their Internet/Tethered pricing structure. Plus looking at the Cingular 3G coverage map it doesn't cover enough of the areas I'll be working in at present. Sprint has better overall coverage for EV-DO Internet access.
As for 4) I'm trying to simplify things by not having to carry yet another device around, plus it's another $100 which seems a waste when you can get it built in.

Question - Does anyone know if you can still make and receive calls on the 7803e (CDMA/Sprint) whilst accessing the Internet, either tethered or on the BB?

It is an 8703e not a 7803e. And when you are surfing or sending/receiving email, voice calls will go to voice mail. You can only do one thing at a time - data or voice, not both.

The 8800 is out now for Cingular. The 8830 is supposed to be released today (May 14) on Verizon, not sure about Sprint. I don't know what it will really do for most US users however. It has CDMA for the US market and GSM for the overseas areas. If you don't travel outside the US, it might be really a waste of money.